The Big Picture · Discussion · Awards
March 3, 2025/ 77 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins recap the 97th Academy Awards minutes after the telecast. Anora wins five, Best Picture, Director, Actress, Original Screenplay, and Editing, a near-total Sean Baker sweep; The Brutalist takes three, Wicked and Dune: Part Two two apiece. Then the grievances: an eight-minute James Bond musical tribute that ran long, an Emilia Pérez sing-along that would not end, and a telecast that stretched close to four hours.
50 films across 2 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
The night, recappedthe contenders and how they fared
Five wins from six nominations: Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and Film Editing, all for Sean Baker, plus Mikey Madison's come-from-behind Best Actress. Only Yuri Borisov went home empty. Baker has been making movies for over 20 years; the $6 million film is the smallest Best Picture winner in ages, and he used his director speech to plead for the theatrical experience.
Three Oscars: Adrien Brody's second Best Actor, Daniel Blumberg's Score, and Cinematography. Brody gave a long, self-regarding speech about an actor's career ebbing and flowing, cast his win as a comeback, and told the music to stop. Brady Corbet was seated far in the back.
Two wins from a season that curdled: Zoe Saldana's Best Supporting Actress, one of the biggest steamrolls the category has seen, and 'El Mal' for Best Original Song. Jacques Audiard lost International to I'm Still Here. Camille's endless sing-along during the song acceptance was an early lowlight.
One win, Peter Straughan's Adapted Screenplay, out of eight or nine nominations. The hosts thought a Best Picture win would have been insane; 1-for-9 counts as a poor showing.
Two below-the-line wins, Production Design and Paul Tazewell's Costume Design. The hosts argue it never had a Best Picture chance; Sean floats, as a bit, Wicked for Good running the table next year.
Two wins, Best Sound and Best Visual Effects, the exact same pair the second Lord of the Rings took. Sean uses the parallel to insist Dune Messiah is teed up to be Return of the King; Amanda begs him to Google the plot.
Best International Feature for Brazil, Walter Salles' film with Fernanda Torres. Late-breaking in the season; the hosts think Torres pulled older votes away from Demi Moore in Best Actress.
One win, Makeup and Hairstyling, which Sean calls the least-Oscar movie ever nominated. Demi Moore was the Best Actress front-runner until BAFTA and lost; the camera stayed on her all night.
Kieran Culkin's Best Supporting Actor, the night's most predictable win, and it opened the show. His speech, retelling an Emmys bit about promising his wife more kids, was the most memorable moment of the telecast.
Best Animated Feature over Universal, Disney, Aardman, and Netflix, and also nominated in International. A dialogue-free, tiny-budget film made in the free software Blender; Sean calls it the smallest movie ever to win a major Oscar.
Best Documentary Feature. The filmmakers spoke about home demolitions in the West Bank; the room stayed quiet, there was no standing ovation, and the broadcast cut away rather than to reaction shots.
Winless. Timothee Chalamet's Best Actor bid fell to Adrien Brody despite the SAG win; the hosts aren't worried about his future. Some speculated it might steal Best Sound, which went to Dune.
The winners, category by categoryas they happened at the 97th Academy Awards
Also mentioned raised along the way
Oscar history the hosts invoked Annie HallIt Happened One NightThe Silence of the LambsOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's NestOppenheimerEverything Everywhere All at OnceAnatomy of a FallJudyThe PianistThe WrestlerCreedDreamgirls
Careers and other films mentioned Once Upon a Time in HollywoodScreamChallengersCivil WarCenter StageAvatar: The Way of WaterGood Will HuntingWhen Harry Met SallyNightbitchThe Social Network
The sequel-math riff The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingTitanicThe Shape of WaterAnnihilation
On-stage tributes and performances No Time to DieLive and Let DieDiamonds Are ForeverSkyfallThe Wiz
Promoted or on the way Wicked for GoodOne Battle After AnotherBallerinaThe AmateurJohn WickHappy GilmoreHappy Gilmore 2The OdysseyDune: Part Three
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV The White LotusSuccessionSeveranceSaturday Night Live
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